Ultrasound imaging is a medical imaging technique for imaging organs and soft tissues in a human body. Ultrasound imaging uses real time, non-invasive high frequency sound waves to produce a two-dimensional (2D) image and/or a three-dimensional (3D) image.
Cardiac measurements are a valuable tool in assessing heart function. Multi-frame 2D ultrasound images and M-mode ultrasound images may be used to obtain measurements of an imaged heart. The cardiac measurements are typically performed manually using one of two processes. A first conventional process includes a user stepping or scrolling through the frames of the multi-frame 2D image to locate an image frame at the correct cardiac phase, typically end systole or end diastole. Once the frame of the multi-frame 2D image is identified, the user may manually position a 2D caliper by selecting start and end points of a two point 2D caliper measurement on anatomical landmark points in the selected 2D image frame. The caliper measurement on the 2D frame provides access to two spatial dimensions, but no temporal information. The lack of temporal information may make it difficult to place the calipers correctly when image quality is not optimal. It may also be difficult to determine from the 2D image whether the measurement is performed in the correct frame. Accordingly, a user may need to scroll back and forth to locate the correct frame by watching the movement of the tissue and valves.
A second conventional process for performing cardiac measurements includes using M-mode images, which provides access to one spatial dimension and time. Often, the direction a user wants to measure may not be aligned with one acquisition beam in the multi-frame 2D image. In these cases, an anatomical M-mode line is placed in the 2D image and an anatomical M-mode image is reconstructed based on the positioning of the anatomical M-mode line. The process of positioning the anatomical M-mode line and subsequently placing the caliper in the anatomical M-mode image can be time consuming, particularly if a user is measuring several dimensions in the same 2D image, along different directions.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.